Bergen County Hosts Annual LGBTQ Youth Summit

Bergen County held its third Annual LGBTQ Youth Summit over Zoom Monday, and featured remarks from Carson Kressley of RuPaul’s Drag Race and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, the county announced.

"For the third straight year, the County of Bergen’s LGBTQ Advisory Committee hosted the annual Bergen County LGBTQ Youth Summit, bringing together teens across the County who will carry the torch of progress forward. It is my hope this virtual summit ... was a source of inspiration for our next generation of activists and leaders who will soon tackle the challenges facing our county, state, and country in the years to come," said Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco.

With the goal of discussing how LGBTQ teens are coping with the pandemic and with the outcome of brainstorming about how to keep GSAs vibrant during isolation, the Summit was "an important way to connect our teens to each other and assure them that the county supports them even in these difficult times," the county said, in a news release.

The pandemic altered the format of this year's summit — with the two previous editions conducted in person — but didn't limit the importance of the event.

After initially meeting in one room together, teens broke out into separate spaces to share experiences, bond, and talk about issues that were of critical importance to them, and to the community.

"Seeing their young faces and engaging with them in discussion was so encouraging," said Bergen County Commissioner Tracy Zur. "Our teens really are resilient and empowered to seek support from their peers, teachers, and our community. We’re all in this together, despite our current isolation."